Wendy Bisaro

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the Minister, since I didn’t get an explanation as to whether it’s fair, I have to assume that it’s unfair and he can’t explain it.

My last question to the Minister is: We’ve heard many times that our legislated pupil-teacher ratio is 16 to 1. I have said that definitely we do not have 16 to 1 in all our schools. I would like to know from the department if we are intending to bring our funding down to 16 to 1, how does he intend to implement this 16 to 1 pupil-teacher ratio, particularly in small schools where some of them are 9 to 1 and some are 4 to 1. So, how is...

I really don’t understand why we need to take more money in 2015-16 to fund a program that is apparently a program that is operational. so I may come back to that.

Small schools have a lower pupil-teacher ratio than do the larger schools. I referenced that in my statement. They need different treatment, and I accept that. Smaller schools have a smaller number of students. They, therefore, need a certain number of teachers to get their programs going. ECE has a small schools funding formula and it is specifically to assist small schools to give them money for their special needs and to account...

Stress to small schools is not what I want, and I’m sure it’s not what the Ministers want, but to do otherwise is unfair to the larger education authorities and that unfairness is being categorically ignored. The justification seems to be that the larger authorities can handle it, so let’s take advantage of them. The fairest solution is to provide new JK funding for the new JK program. That way all schools will be able to keep the staff they currently have and maintain delivery of the excellent programs they provide.

If, as stated yesterday, the regional centres and YK board budgets are reduced...

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I just want to follow up a bit on this same subject. I think Mr. Bromley has covered most of it.

My question here is similar to his and maybe I will try asking it in a different way. My concern is that it has been referenced that GNWT can’t just remove an employee, but where is it written that we can’t do that? What safeguards exist? Where are they that one could go look at them and read them that basically states we can’t just remove somebody or we have to have cause to remove somebody? Because it’s not clear what safeguards are in place to prevent the Minister from...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I did sort of mention in my remarks I’m slightly confused why we are deleting the definition of layoff and I mentioned I think it’s because there’s a difference in the way that the word “layoff” it’s used, whether it’s used as a noun or a verb. I didn’t hear that, I don’t think, in the Minister’s remarks. I also didn’t hear about what consultation was done, but I don’t know if we can go to the Minister at this point or not, but that is a concern. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. We would like to consider Bill 30, An Act to Amend the Public Service Act, Bill 25, An Act to Amend the Education Act, and Bill 27, Miscellaneous Statute Law Amendment Act, 2014.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have to take that as a yes.

Junior Kindergarten now has 23 schools; sorry, Junior Kindergarten is being offered in 23 schools and I have to assume that that JK program in those 23 schools is fully funded.

So I would like to ask the Minister, how are those schools being funded if next year there needs to be more money taken from education authorities’ budgets? Is it being fully funded this year? If it is not being fully funded by the budget reductions, is there an internal reallocation that is funding part of the JK program? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to follow up with some further questions to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

I’m struggling with the answer that the Minister gave me with regards to the implementation of a 16 to 1 funding at 16 to 1 pupil-teacher ratio. It has been stated many times that education authorities are over-funded and that we need to fund our legislated PTR of 16 to 1.

Looking at the department’s numbers, using the department’s own numbers, and albeit they are from 2013, but it is entirely possible that if we have a 16 to 1 pupil-teacher ratio across the board...

Thanks to the Minister. The Premier yesterday stated, in answer to one of my questions, “we will be re-profiling from all authorities.” He was referencing the money that is being used for Junior Kindergarten, that it’s coming from all authorities. So, if it’s coming from all authorities, I’d like to say that 20 of our 49 schools are currently, give or take, less than 120 students. That’s almost half of our schools, Mr. Speaker.

Can the Minister explain the fairness of having small schools exempted from the budget reductions and, at the same time, receiving the small schools funding formula...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are addressed to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. I want to follow up on my statement and some of the questions asked by Mr. Dolynny yesterday. In this fiscal year, 2014-2015, budgets to all education authorities were reduced to a certain extent in order to fund the start of Junior Kindergarten. That funding apparently was to go help the 23 schools that are offering Junior Kindergarten this year to get their program in place.

So I would like to ask the Minister first off, why, if these programs are operational and we have funding for...